One with the Force
by Jedi Padawan
Summary: What if Qui-Gon wasn't truly a Knight yet? Obi-Wan and Anakin confront Dooku after Qui-Gon's death. COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll review your story if you do!
1. Default Chapter

Okay, this is my first fic so please review and tell me what you think! Be honest, I can take criticism (besides - peace over anger, right?). Sorry the beginning is so choppy. And it will get more AU later, I promise!  
  
The pulsating ribbons of light danced between Qui-Gon and his assailant. The battle had dragged on far too long, and exhaustion was beginning to weigh on the Jedi Master's large limbs. He collapsed weakly into a meditative position behind the laser wall.  
  
* * *  
  
The fear bubbled up in him, clouding his ability to use the Force. "Master?" the young boy whispered tentatively. "Master Dooku, are you there?"  
  
Silence answered him. "Master?" The boy sat down. "Please don't leave me alone, Master." Tears rolled down the boy's face. "I'm afraid," he cried.  
  
* * *  
  
The laser barriers snapped apart. Instantly Qui-Gon was on his feet, lightsaber ignited. He pressed on towards the Sith, ignoring the frantic mental cries of his apprentice. Only the fight existed for him, the fight and the Force flowing around him.  
  
* * *  
  
Darkness surrounded the boy, blinding him. This was a challenge too advanced for his seven short years. Panic gripped his heart as he attempted to reach out to the Force and found it had abandoned him. Afraid and alone, the boy curled up to wait for Master Dooku to find him.  
  
* * *  
  
The laser walls cycled off again, trapping Obi-Wan behind them. Qui-Gon barely noticed the absence of his Padawan, focusing intently on the battle ahead of him. His apprentice was nervous, and the anxiety leaked through the bond the Jedi shared to color Qui-Gon's sense of the Force. The Sith was more than a match for Qui-Gon. Perhaps if he were ten or twenty years younger, the battle would have been more of a contest. This fight revolved not around the question of who would win, but when Qui-Gon would fall.  
  
* * *  
  
The slap stung his cheek. "You failed me. You made a fool of yourself, and you humiliated me." Dooku towered over the boy, a menacing figure with his black cloak and fencing saber.  
  
"I'm sorry, Master," the boy cried. "I was unsure of what to do."  
  
His other cheek earned a blow. "Do not give me excuses! I made you, and I can break you."  
  
"Please, Master," the boy sobbed.  
  
"You are a Jedi," the man continued. "A Jedi is not afraid. A Jedi would have known what to do. You are a disgrace to the Order and to me." He grabbed the boy by the wrists and dragged him to the window. "Look out there," the man ordered.  
  
Frightened, the boy obeyed. Traffic roared past, oblivious to the conflict playing out above them. The quarters the boy shared with his Master were in the higher floors of the Temple, and it was a long way through many air traffic lanes to the planet's surface. The boy's stomach flopped.  
  
"Are you afraid of that?" the man demanded. The boy didn't, couldn't, answer. All he could see was the path of the air traffic and the hard pavement on the ground below.  
  
"Are you?" Dooku repeated. When the boy still failed to answer, Dooku shook him violently. "Are you afraid?"\  
  
"Yes, Master," the boy had finally overcome his paralysis to answer.  
  
Dooku shoved him through the open window. The boy dangled helplessly, prevented from falling only by the iron grip of his Master. "Are you still afraid?" Dooku asked menacingly.  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan observed the battle from behind the laser walls. "Master . . ." he said softly, sending strength to his Master through the Force.  
  
* * *  
  
The boy stood beside his Master. At seventeen, he should have been preparing for the trials. The Jedi were complicated, and much of the more complex instruction began years before the trials themselves. The pair stood before the Council now to discuss their most recent mission.  
  
"With all due respect, Master Yoda, I feel that my Padawan is not yet ready to proceed with his training. His performance on the last mission was disgraceful."  
  
The boy wilted, ashamed. As usual, he had failed to perform to the standards Dooku required. /Maybe he's right,/ the boy thought. /I'm not ready to face the trials. I'm not, and never will be, good enough to become a Knight./  
  
Yoda gazed into the boy's eyes. Unable to bear the criticizing stare of the Council member, the boy shifted his eyes to the patterned star in the floor. "Discuss this later, we shall." Yoda said without looking away. "May the Force be with you."  
  
* * *  
  
The Sith seemed to be moving in slow motion. Time slowed, and Qui-Gon slowed with it. He was engaged in a dance to the death with his opponent, and the music was ending.  
  
* * *  
  
The boy's eye throbbed painfully. He attacked the training droid ferociously, trying to block out the pain. Finally, the droid fell and the boy deactivated his lightsaber.  
  
"Injured, you are, Qui-Gon," Yoda observed, having entered unnoticed during the exercise.  
  
"I walked into a door, Master," Qui-Gon responded, staring at the floor.  
  
"Dooku's fist, a door is not," the diminutive Jedi Master commented.  
  
Qui-Gon said nothing, never looking up from the floor.  
  
"Ready for the trials, you are," Yoda continued. "Despite what Master Dooku believes."  
  
The boy looked up. "He is my Master. His judgment is correct."  
  
"Your Master, Dooku is not," Yoda said abruptly. "Left the Order, he has. My Padawan, you are now, and take the trials you will."  
  
* * *  
  
A glow of triumph surrounded the Sith. The end was near; his prey was almost his. Just a little longer . . .  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon stood alone before the Council, in the same place he had stood five years earlier with Master Dooku.  
  
"I am ready to face the trials, Masters." Qui-Gon said, his voice trembling.  
  
Master Yoda nodded solemnly. A Council Padawan entered, carrying an illusion hood. The Padawan handed it to Qui-Gon, bowing.  
  
Qui-Gon returned the bow and faced the Council. "May the Force be with you, Qui-Gon," Yoda said, his face emotionless but his long ears betraying his anxiety.  
  
Qui-Gon bowed again, freezing the image of the benevolent Jedi Master in his mind. /If I die doing this, this is what I want to remember,/ he thought. He pulled the hood over his head.  
  
The helmet sent Qui-Gon rocketing through time and space to the day Dooku tried to kill him. He re-lives every awful moment, every bruise, every cut. He is seven, hidden in the darkness. He is thirteen, hanging out the window. He is fifteen and in the Healer wards, being treated for serious saber wounds. The pain and fear overwhelm him, making him cry out in desperation. Remembering who and what he is, Qui-Gon struggles to find his center, to find the Force. Master Yoda's anxious face returns to him. /I have to do this,/ he thinks. /I have to succeed, I can't let Master Yoda down./  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon tried to block the Sith's lightsaber. The blows came too quickly, though, and soon Qui-Gon was lost in the battle.  
  
The Force warned him milliseconds before the handle of the Sith's lightsaber connected with his chin.  
  
* * *  
  
The Padawan lifted the hood off Qui-Gon's head. Qui-Gon rose shakily, grateful for the support of the Padawan. He faced the Council, awaiting the results.  
  
The Council members exchanged glances. "Well you have done, Qui-Gon," Yoda said. "A powerful Knight will you become."  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon staggered backwards, stunned momentarily. The force of the handle had jerked him out of the rhythm of the fight, removing him from the Force. He let his lightsaber drop aside as he attempted to regain his center. He had just managed to do so when a powerful warning from the Force shot through him, black and menacing. Qui-Gon swung his lightsaber around to parry the strike the Sith aimed for him, but knew it was already too late. The Sith's blood red saber bit into him, burning a hole through his middle.  
  
Becoming a Knight. Taking Xanatos as his Padawan. Killing Crion and watching Xanatos turn and attack him. Meeting Obi-Wan. Saving Tahl. Watching Xanatos jump into the pit of acid. Watching Tahl die. Coming to Naboo. Meeting Anakin, the talented young slave from Tatooine. Qui-Gon's mind cycles through the major events of his life before returning to his Padawan. /Obi-Wan,/ he thought. He had left his Padawan alone against the Sith.  
  
* * *  
  
Shocked, Obi-Wan watched his Master fall. The pillar of strength who had supported him all these years was finally defeated. He had not believed it possible that one so strong in the Force as Qui-Gon was could be beaten. Yet here was this swordsman, this Sith, who had done so. /How can I win?/ Obi-Wan despaired. /Qui-Gon is by far my superior in lightsaber technique. I will fall, and Naboo will fall with me./  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon felt his Padawan's pain, deeper than even his own. He wanted to send comfort through the bond, but found he had none to give. The Force beckoned to him, threatening to pull him out of his body. /No, not yet,/ he thought. /There is so much I have to tell him, so much he has yet to learn./ A pang of regret stabbed through Qui-Gon's heart, more powerful than the laser sword carried by the Sith. /You are strong, my Padawan,/ he realized with a start. /But are you strong enough?/  
  
* * *  
  
The Sith's taunting glare burned through the laser walls at Obi-Wan. /This Sith has killed my Master,/ Obi-Wan thought, /and now he will kill me. But how could Master Qui-Gon have been defeated? He was the greatest of the Jedi. Nothing could kill him . . . unless the Dark side really is stronger.  
  
With a roar of anger, pain, and desperation Obi-Wan burst from behind the laser walls at the Sith, giving in to the Darkness.  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon drew back in horror. Blackness surrounded his apprentice, a familiar blackness that crept insidiously into his mind. "No!" he cried out in mental anguish as the darkness settled around him.  
  
"No, my young apprentice?" The bass voice Qui-Gon had feared for nearly his entire childhood boomed in his ears.  
  
"I am not your apprentice anymore!" Qui-Gon shouted.  
  
"You aren't, are you?" the voice laughed. "Stand up," it commanded.  
  
Against his will, Qui-Gon felt his mental self rise. "This means nothing!" he yelled desperately. "I wanted to stand and stretch my legs."  
  
The voice chuckled, amused. "Yes, you can delude yourself into believing many things Padawan. You even had yourself convinced that you were a Knight."  
  
"I am a Knight!" Qui-Gon said. "I passed the trials 33 years ago."  
  
"Yes, you passed the Council's trials. The Force has yet to truly try you, though. Did you notice how you always fail at everything? Whenever it matters, you always make the wrong decision. You failed with Xanatos, and you have failed with Obi-Wan. See how dark he has become? That is because of you. You are dying and will never become a Knight. As you can never become a Knight, neither can young Obi-Wan," the voice said. "He can only turn."  
  
Qui-Gon deflated. "No," he moaned.  
  
* * *  
  
Darkness boiled through Obi-Wan's veins. He attacked the Sith ferociously, his anger adding strength to the blows. Triumphantly he slashed the Sith's lightsaber in half, destroying one of the two blades. He lunged in to end the battle, his lightsaber tangling with the Sith's.  
  
The Sith was not yet defeated, though. He used the Dark side of the Force to shove Obi-Wan over the edge of the melting pit. Obi-Wan barely managed to grab a rung on the inside of the pit. He dangled helplessly as his lightsaber fell away and the Sith stood menacingly over him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Yes, my Padawan. Obi-Wan will turn," the voice said.  
  
"Obi-Wan will not turn!" Qui-Gon shouted.  
  
"He already has," the voice answered. "His anger has made him strong, but Maul is stronger. Your apprentice will die dark, and you will die alone, Padawan."  
  
"I am not your Padawan!" Qui-Gon screamed.  
  
"Then how can I do this?" the voice taunted.  
  
Qui-Gon screamed in mental anguish. The pain overwhelmed him, burning through every cell in his body. He was drowning in the pain, being consumed by it. He could not hold on.  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan felt only a shred of the pain his Master felt, but even that was enough to make him wince. The apprentice felt his Master draw away, shielding Obi-Wan from the mind-bending agony. The shield blocked even the fading image of his Master's old strength from Obi-Wan's mind. /No,/ he thought desperately, /don't leave me. It's so dark./  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon was falling into the pain. It would be so easy just to let himself go, to escape the voice's torment. To escape - and never speak with Obi- Wan again. Never tell his apprentice how proud he was, or how much he valued their time together. /I have to hang on,/ Qui-Gon thought. /I have to help him . . ./ He felt Obi-Wan's despair. //No, my Padawan, don't give in to the Dark side.// The effort of communicating through the bond was almost to much, but Qui-Gon had to continue. Gathering what remained of his strength, he faced the voice.  
  
"I reject you, Dooku. Leave this place," he said, eyes blazing with power.  
  
The voice fought his efforts, but Qui-Gon refused to relent. "No!" the voice screamed. "I'll be back for you, Qui-Gon! You can't escape me!"  
  
Qui-Gon forced his will upon Dooku. With all the strength he had, he shoved the former Jedi out of the mental plane. This battle, for now, was over.  
  
* * *  
  
His Master's encouragement strengthened Obi-Wan. With a sense of clarity greater than any he had achieved before, Obi-Wan knew what he had to do. He used the Force to catapult himself over the Sith's head at the same time as he called his Master's lightsaber to his hand. He swung the emerald blade through the Sith's frozen form and watched the Dark Lord fall over the edge of the melting pit, dead.  
  
Obi-Wan deactivated the saber and ran to his Master's side. "Master," he cried softly, cradling Qui-Gon's head in his arms.  
  
Qui-Gon's eyes fluttered open. "It's too late, Obi-Wan," he said weakly, his pride in the accomplishments of his Padawan coursing through their bond.  
  
"No," Obi-Wan said in denial.  
  
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon interrupted, trying to remain conscious. "Obi-Wan, promise me you will train the boy." Training Anakin would accomplish two things: It would ensure that the boy became a Knight, and it would force Obi-Wan to forgo the mourning Qui-Gon had always detested.  
  
"He is the Chosen One," Qui-Gon continued. It was getting harder and harder for him to speak. The Force called to him, urging him to come home. "He will bring balance," Qui-Gon said. His Padawan's despair radiated through the bond. Weakly, Qui-Gon caressed the young man's cheek. //Don't be sad,// Qui-Gon said through the bond, smiling slightly. //I will always be with you in the Force.//  
  
With a final burst of strength, Qui-Gon looked at his apprentice and said, "Train him." As those words left his lips, the Jedi Master became one with the Force.  
  
Obi-Wan bent over his Master's body, sobbing. The man who had trained him, been his father, had died.  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan knelt before Master Yoda. The loss of his Master was still an open wound, although the grief was eased with the mission his Master had set for him.  
  
"Confer on you, the level of Jedi Knight, the Council does," Yoda's raspy voice said suddenly, startling Obi-Wan. He looked up, but the phrase did not fill him with the elation he had always imagined. Qui-Gon should have been here, should have lived.  
  
Yoda continued. "But agree with you taking this boy as your Padawan learner, I do not." He punctuated his sentence by beating the floor with his gimer stick.  
  
Obi-Wan looked up and met Yoda's eye squarely. "I gave Qui-Gon my word." Yoda's doubt was palpable in the Force. "I will train Anakin," Obi-Wan continued. "Without the approval of the Council if I must." Somewhere, he knew his Master would find that hilarious. Obi-Wan stifled a laugh, remembering all the times he had begged his Master to obey the Council.  
  
Yoda heard the resemblance as well. "Qui-Gon's defiance I sense in you," he said dryly. "Need that you do not."  
  
Obi-Wan waited for the Master to continue. Yoda let out a heavy sigh and stopped pacing. He stared into the fire roaring in the hearth of the chamber. "Agree with you the Council does," he said abruptly. "Your apprentice, Skywalker shall be."  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan stood behind Anakin, watching the body of his Master burn. The Sith had returned, that much was clear. Only a Sith could have defeated Qui- Gon, the greatest swordsman in the Jedi Order. The greatest swordsman, and the greatest Master. Obi-Wan's eyes burned, and he choked back the tears that threatened to pour down his face.  
  
"What will happen to me now?" Anakin Skywalker, the young boy he had agreed to train, looked up at him trustingly.  
  
Obi-Wan's stomach twisted. Qui-Gon had brought the boy away from his slave's life on Tatooine with the intention of training him, but then Qui- Gon had . . .  
  
The thought of his Master's grief recalled the tears to Obi-Wan's eyes. Before they could embarrass him, he said quietly, "I will train you. You will become a Knight, I promise you." Obi-Wan did not know to whom he promised, whether it was to Qui-Gon or Anakin he spoke. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, and felt an identical weight on his. He knew it was his Master's way of saying everything was fine.  
  
* * *  
  
The Council met in a small room in the palace. "Tragic, Qui-Gon's death is," Yoda said, breaking the silence.  
  
"More so that he never confronted Dooku," Ki-Adi-Mundi pointed out.  
  
"So sure are you? Of Darkness are Dooku's powers," Yoda stated.  
  
"If Dooku is Dark, he should be destroyed," Mace Windu argued.  
  
"Yes," Adi Gallia mused. "Qui-Gon may still become a true Knight if Dooku is defeated or turned."  
  
"Send Obi-Wan and Anakin, we should," Yaddle put in. "Close to Qui-Gon, they were." The Council nodded in assent.  
  
"Let us bring them here," Mace said quietly.  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan stood next to Anakin before the Council. The ritual to knight him and make Anakin a Padawan was being rushed.  
  
Mace Windu came towards Obi-Wan with a small knife, his hands trembling. Qui-Gon and Mace had been year-mates and close friends, and Qui-Gon's death had clearly saddened the other Jedi. Solemnly Mace reached around Obi- Wan's head and cut the ponytail he wore free. The Padawan braid was next, the knife sliding through the strands of hair as easily as the Sith's lightsaber had pierced Qui-Gon's middle. As Obi-Wan felt his head lighten without the extra hair, he recalled all the years he had spent as Qui-Gon's Padawan. Without it, he felt naked and alone. Obi-Wan gathered the locks in his hand and stored them in his pocket.  
  
It was now his turn. He knelt before Anakin and gathered the hair from the back of his head into a ponytail. Most of Anakin's hair had been shorn earlier; Obi-Wan only needed to add the finishing touches. With shaking hands, he braided the only other section of uncut hair, opening the bond between them as he secured the Padawan braid.  
  
Together, the Knight and Padawan stood before the Council, linked for the next several years of training. They bowed, waiting for their dismissal.  
  
It never came. Yoda looked at them, seeing the tears in Obi-Wan's eyes. "A mission, we have for you," he said . . .  
  
What happens next? Will Obi-Wan and Anakin be able to beat Dooku? Will Qui-Gon become a Knight? tbc . . .  
  
Please Review! 


	2. Good grief, I have to title the chapters...

Thanks for the reviews! The paragraphing surprised me - it lumped everything together. Hopefully this chapter should work better.  
  
By the way - all your suggestions will be used in a revised version once I finish this. Thanks!  
  
I don't own anyone but the mechanic. Unfortunately.  
  
He awoke groggily, barely able to move his head. He was trapped in a cloud of fine grey mist that clung to everything, making his robes cumbersome and sticky. /What is this?/ he thought, struggling to remember. /Who am I? Where am I?/  
  
His mind flashed back, frantically trying to recall the events that had led him to this place. All he could remember was pain, and sorrow, and a burning hole through his chest. The pain still radiated away from where he had been struck, eating through his body like flame. /Am I dead?/ he wondered. /It's the only answer. Oh, well . . ./ he thought as he let his mind drift away into oblivion.  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan was shocked. Usually new Knights and their Padawans were kept close to the Jedi Temple for a while to allow them to adjust. To be given a mission immediately after being knighted and taking a Padawan learner, an untrained boy, was unheard of.  
  
"Know you do, who Qui-Gon's Master was?" Yoda asked the young Knight.  
  
Obi-Wan winced at the thought of his dead Master, memories pouring through his mind. The Council waited patiently for Obi-Wan to compose himself, but Anakin was not nearly so serene. He nudged his Master with a sharp elbow, forcing Obi-Wan back into the moment.  
  
"I was told that he was trained by Master Dooku, though you were the one he always mentioned," Obi-Wan finally answered.  
  
"Yes. Cruel, Dooku was. Abusive and dark," Yoda said. "Qui-Gon never overcame his fear of Dooku, not even after Dooku had left the Order. Paralyzed by the fear, he was. But afraid of him, Dooku was. By Qui-Gon's presence, kept safe, the Temple was."  
  
"Now that Qui-Gon is dead, Dooku has no reason to fear the consequences of attacking the Temple. The only Jedi he took seriously was Qui-Gon," Mace Windu added.  
  
"You believe that Dooku means to attack the Temple," Obi-Wan stated.  
  
"Yes. Capture him, you should, and bring him here. Then may we question him and bring him to justice for the abuses of your Master," Yoda said. "Your ship leaves tomorrow morning for Aridan, his last known location. May the Force be with you."  
  
Obi-Wan bowed and mentally instructed Anakin to do the same. /I have got to teach this boy how to behave,/ he muttered internally, his side still smarting from Anakin's jab.  
  
* * *  
  
A bright light beckoned to him, welcoming him home. He longed to run into it and bask in its glorious warmth, to be free of the clammy mist that enveloped him. A smiling woman waved at him, though her eyes drifted away into space as though they could not see.  
  
"Tahl?" he asked, unaware of the origins of the name. The woman heard him call, and ran to him. He swept her up into a warm embrace, lifting her small frame easily off the ground. Somehow the man knew that this woman was special to him, though he knew nothing else about his surroundings. "Where are we?" he asked, hoping she would know.  
  
She could not answer, though. Her face was buried in his tunic, and he felt a new moisture through the dampness of the mist. /She's crying,/ he realized, tightening his hold and rocking her.  
  
"Shh, why are you crying?" he asked soothingly. "Let me help."  
  
Her sightless eyes stared beyond him. "You shouldn't be here. This is Death, you are dead."  
  
"I know," he said. "I'm not crying, though. Why should you be sad, if I'm not?"  
  
"Because if you're dead, then you can't help Obi-Wan or Anakin. They will both die now, and the galaxy will descend into chaos. They still need you, need your guidance. It was not your time," she said between sobs.  
  
/Obi-Wan? Anakin?/ the man thought. The names were familiar, though he couldn't quite place them.  
  
Suddenly, his memories flooded back as the dam holding them buried within his mind ruptured. A stab of sorrow more poisonous than the Sith's lightsaber stabbed through him as he realized what would become of his Padawan, his only true son.  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin struggled to clear his mind as he sat on the cold metal floor of the ship. /Well, not exactly a ship,/ he thought. He was traveling on board the Galaxy's Center, a luxury liner, with Obi-Wan. They were disguised as father and son, so as not to alert Dooku to their presence. /Why are we so worried about this Dooku fellow anyway?/ Anakin wondered.  
  
"Focus, Padawan," Obi-Wan said sharply. "Clear your mind."  
  
"I'm trying, Master," Anakin whined. "This is boring." He opened his eyes and looked at his Master. Obi-Wan's face was serene, as though the mission didn't worry him.  
  
"It should be relaxing, Anakin."  
  
"Relaxing?" Anakin asked incredulously. "My feet are falling asleep, my nose itches, and why do I have to meditate when I should be learning how to use the Force?"  
  
"Meditation is the key to a Jedi's ability to use the Force," Obi-Wan answered. "You must have a clear mind to access it, or you risk turning to the Dark side. When you meditate correctly, nothing exists but the Force. It flows through you like a river, sweeping you along in the current. Before you can do anything else, you must learn how to allow the Force to guide you through the various obstacles you will find in your path."  
  
"But it can't do anything if I don't know how to use my lightsaber!" Anakin protested. "How am I supposed to help you apprehend what's-his-face if I don't even know how to defend myself?"  
  
"The Force will guide you. Have patience."  
  
"I don't want to have patience. You don't understand. You're not like Qui- Gon. He would have understood. I hate you! I want Qui-Gon!" Anakin screamed as he stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door.  
  
"So do I, Anakin," Obi-Wan said softly, dropping out of the meditation to watch his apprentice stalk away. "So do I."  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan's pain through the remnants of their bond. //Obi- Wan?// he called tentatively. //Where are you?//  
  
"You can't reach out to him," Tahl said. "He must reach out to you, as he will do soon enough. My time on this plane is limited. I have been dead for far too long to still be able to affect the world of the living. You must remain here, Qui-Gon. Stay here and help them. Help them . . ."  
  
Qui-Gon watched in horror as Tahl bled away into the mist. "No, don't leave me," he cried. "What do I need to do?"  
  
"You will know," he heard as the last traces of Tahl disappeared.  
  
Obi-Wan's sorrow called again, more forcefully this time. Remembering Tahl's instructions, Qui-Gon allowed himself to be dragged through space to his old Padawan.  
  
He saw Obi-Wan curled up on a sleep couch in a ship cabin, crying. "I am here, Obi-Wan," he said, not sure that Obi-Wan could hear him.  
  
"Master?" Obi-Wan looked up, surprised to see the ghostly form of Qui-Gon Jinn standing in the middle of the cabin.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded. "It is really me," he said as he moved to sit next to his old apprentice. He saw through Obi-Wan's eyes what had happened between Anakin and Obi-Wan.  
  
"I never gave you this much trouble about meditation," Obi-Wan said, knowing that Qui-Gon had seen the argument.  
  
Qui-Gon cocked an eyebrow skeptically.  
  
"Well, except for that one time right before I became your Padawan," Obi- Wan amended. "But I was never this exasperating!"  
  
The eyebrow didn't move.  
  
Obi-Wan sighed. He could never win an argument against Qui-Gon. "I'm not ready for this."  
  
"Yes, you are," Qui-Gon replied. "Training an apprentice isn't easy, but you are one of the most talented Jedi. You will do well."  
  
"He's so old. And he's impatient."  
  
"Impatient?"  
  
Obi-Wan saw the parallel. "Did you come here to help me, or to taunt me?" he asked in frustration.  
  
"All good Masters see themselves in their Padawans. You were very much like I was at your age," Qui-Gon pointed out. "When the student teaches the Master, the bond is right. By guiding Anakin, you will recognize and correct your own mistakes."  
  
"But he's so, so . . ." Obi-Wan searched for the word.  
  
"Aggravating?" Qui-Gon supplied.  
  
Obi-Wan glared at the Jedi Master. "You're lucky you're dead already," he warned jokingly.  
  
Qui-Gon laughed. "You will be fine," he reassured Obi-Wan.  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin walked glumly through the corridors towards the repair bay. Galaxy's Center, like all large ships, carried a squadron of fighters to ward off pirate attacks. Maybe the mechanics would let him look around or even help. People always valued his expertise at repairs.  
  
Finally he reached the ships. They were weak, poorly constructed, and even more inadequately maintained. The most decrepit fighters that he had deconstructed for Watto could have taken out the entire squadron in five minutes, easily. He approached one of the ships being worked on and was shocked to see that the hyperdrive was nearly twice his age. "What a piece of junk!" he exclaimed impulsively.  
  
"Git outta here, kid," the mechanic growled angrily. "Go back to yer manicures and prep school uniforms, where ye belong. We don't need yer kind gawking at us honest workers."  
  
"But - I can -" Anakin stuttered, surprised at the gruffness.  
  
"Ye can kiss yer arse, fer all I care. Git outta here, before I call security!"  
  
Anakin left dejectedly. He wasn't wanted anywhere, not even by the Jedi. Tears rolled down his face as he curled up in a corner.  
  
"What's the matter, young man?" a deep voice asked. "Are you lost?"  
  
Anakin looked up, blinking tears out of his eyes. "I'm not lost," he said. "I'm just, just,"  
  
The man reached out and pulled Anakin to his feet. "Now, what's the matter?" he asked kindly. "You can tell me."  
  
The voice was so warm and welcoming that Anakin's crude mental shields dissolved. "Nobody wants me," he sobbed. "Not the mechanics, not the Jedi, not even Master Obi-Wan. I'm only his Padawan because Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan to train me. Qui-Gon was the only friend I had, except for Padme and my mom. But I can't see Padme, or Mom, and Qui-Gon's dead." Anakin, distracted by the promise of comfort, spilled the entire story to the man with the deep voice.  
  
There is a disturbance in the Force . . . tbc  
  
Please review! 


	3. What idiot decided chapters needed title...

I won't update next week - Spring Break/Family vacation leaves me w/out internet access for a week. Sorry, but it's out of my control.  
  
This chapter has a little humor to lighten the mood. Sorry, Obi-lovers, but this is what I see really happening. Besides, I live with Devil-Boy, so I should know what a young knight feels like around a ten-year-old.  
  
If you include a story id # or other information in a review, I will review that story. Just give me enough information to find it (title, genre, rating, approx. update date, anything else that might help. . .), time to read it, and don't ask me to review anything rated R. If I can't find your story, I'll say so at the beginning of the next chapter.  
  
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed. The feedback means a lot.  
  
I still don't own the people you've heard of.  
  
Obi-Wan laughed. Speaking with Qui-Gon again was lifting his spirits, almost as though Qui-Gon was still alive, as though they had never gone to Naboo.  
  
The jovial mood the companions shared was shattered by the wave of mental anguish from Anakin. "What? What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked aloud. "Anakin?"  
  
Qui-Gon's face was twisted in concentration. "Yes," he said. "He feels," Qui-Gon paused, searching in the Force.  
  
"Alone," Obi-Wan finished. "Where is he?"  
  
"Follow the cry, Obi-Wan. I can't find him. He's being blocked by darkness. He is in danger!" //Go!// Qui-Gon desperately screamed the end of his instructions through their bond as he was sucked back into the mist.  
  
Obi-Wan watched with grief as his master disappeared into the Force, leaving him alone with Anakin again. A renewed loneliness slammed into him with the force of a bantha stampede, startling him out of his stupor. Shaking away the remnants of his own feelings, Obi-Wan raced through the ship to find Anakin.  
  
* * *  
  
"And he's mean, and he never lets me do anything, and we're going to fight some evil Count Something-or-other but I'm not even allowed to turn on my lightsaber!" Anakin's shoulders shook with sobs as he poured out his heart to the stranger.  
  
"Anakin," the man began, but found himself cut off by another wail. "Anakin."  
  
"I hate him!" the boy screamed. "I don't want Obi-Wan! I want my mom! I want Padme! I want Qui-Gon!"  
  
"Do you really want to learn how to use your lightsaber?" the man finally shouted above the ruckus.  
  
Anakin sniffed and wiped his nose on the man's shirt. He nodded vehemently, still gasping for breath.  
  
"I can teach you, but you must promise me one thing."  
  
"What?" Anakin asked, calming down slightly.  
  
"You must not tell Obi-Wan about our lessons, or even about this conversation," the man said.  
  
"When can we start?" Anakin sniffled.  
  
"Right no-" the man started. He stopped abruptly and shook his head. "Meet me here tomorrow after the first meal. Bring your lightsaber. And don't tell Obi-Wan!" he reminded Anakin, sweeping gracefully away.  
  
Obi-Wan raced into the room. He found Anakin sitting in the corner, his eyes still red with tears. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down next to his Padawan.  
  
"Nothing you'd care about," Anakin snapped. "You don't even want me anyway," he muttered under his breath.  
  
His hurt leaked through the bond to Obi-Wan. //Of course I want you as my Padawan,// he thought soothingly.  
  
"Get out of my head," Anakin said furiously. "You only took me on because Qui-Gon made you promise to train me."  
  
"That's not true," Obi-Wan said, but he wasn't entirely certain that it was. /Did I only agree to train him for Qui-Gon?/ he wondered to himself.  
  
"See? You're not even sure of it yourself." Clumsily Anakin tried to throw up Force shields around his mind, blocking out Obi-Wan.  
  
Obi-Wan saw that he could easily break through the careless shielding. //Let me help you,// he said, reaching through the bond to reinforce his Padawan's attempts. //You build shields carefully, from within. Make a layer following the pattern that's already there,// he instructed, rocking the young boy as they explored the construction of Force shields.  
  
* * *  
  
/Sith, who knew something so little could make such a mess?/ the man thought to himself as he stripped off the snotted tunic. /Or so much noise,/ he added. /My ears are going to hurt for the next year,/ he groaned, realizing the stain wasn't coming out of his tunic. /What a waste. It was one of my favorites, too. Well, it'll all be worth it to show those idiotic Jedi to mess with me,/ he chuckled maliciously to himself.  
  
* * *  
  
Erinn watched the younglings playing peacefully with the toys. /Kids are so inventive,/ she thought, watching Hamri, the youngest, float a toy bantha in the shallow pond. Lesha came up, and brought a model speeder next to the bantha.  
  
"Roar! Roar! I eat bantha!" Lesha growled, her Bothan fur rustling in the breeze. She grabbed at the toy bantha, stuffing it into her mouth. Hamri began to wail, seeing the bantha disappear. With a sigh, Erinn came over to break up the fight. /And loud,/ she added. /Kids are very loud./  
  
The nursery had gone to shambles. /What made Master Shedain think I could handle this?/ she wondered.  
  
Having settled Lesha and Hamri, Erinn caught sight of Kyren taking a shiny metal ball from another toddler. Sensing a fight, Erinn ran across the room. Kyren saw her coming for him, and took off. His small size was an advantage, and he tore agilely around Erinn. Soon the other toddlers had abandoned their games to watch the chase.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day, Obi-Wan was awakened by a shrill whistle in his right ear. He sat bolt upright, forgetting that Anakin's sleep couch was stacked immediately above his own. A sharp pain stabbed through his head as it bounced off the hard metal bars that kept the sleep couch from crashing on top of him.  
  
"What in the name of the Sith?" he asked disorientedly. Realization dawned on him. "Anakin!" he yelled, batting at the noisemaker by his ear. "Why won't this Sith-forsaken piece of junk shut up?" he muttered angrily.  
  
"Yes, Master?" Anakin asked angelically.  
  
"Is this your doing?" Obi-Wan asked, pointing at the noisemaker. The shrill whine wailed loudly enough that it was sure to wake the entire liner. Without waiting for an answer, Obi-Wan yelled "Shut it off!"  
  
Anakin shrugged his shoulders innocently. "I don't know how," he said, barely contained giggles showing beneath the serene mask. "Sorry."  
  
Obi-Wan roared. He fumbled for his lightsaber, only to find it had been moved during the night. Calling on what little control he had, he summoned the Force to call Anakin's lightsaber to his hand. The brilliant blue blade slammed through the noisemaker, melting it into a heap of glowing slag. The silence that followed was even more deafening than the siren had been as Anakin stared at the destroyed alarm..  
  
"What did you do with my lightsaber?" Obi-Wan demanded impatiently.  
  
"Nothing, Master. You left it under your sleep couch before you went to bed last night. It's still there."  
  
Obi-Wan growled and crawled under the sleep couch. Sure enough, his lightsaber was lying just out of reach. Using the Force again, Obi-Wan felt it fall easily into his waiting palm.  
  
"Somebody's not a morning person, is he?" Anakin asked, seeing the expression on Obi-Wan's face. He wisely shut up when he caught the meaning of the glare he was receiving. /If looks could kill,/ he thought to himself.  
  
//You'd be dead,// Obi-Wan finished for him. //Shield yourself better so your thoughts don't leak out. I'll help, but you have to do this for yourself eventually. And don't be so satisfied. It wasn't that funny.//  
  
//You know it was,// Anakin answered. //Besides, did you expect me to let you miss breakfast?// As Obi-Wan finished composing himself, Anakin brought in the food he had smuggled out of the kitchens. "It should still be warm," he said. "I'm going to go exploring the ship. Stay out of trouble!" Before Obi-Wan could react, Anakin skipped out of the cabin and disappeared.  
  
Rubbing his aching head, Obi-Wan groaned. /I was never this bad,/ he thought, knowing Qui-Gon would hear. /You did this on purpose./  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin raced through the halls. /That was priceless!/ he laughed, recalling the expression on Obi-Wan's face. /I'll have to do that again sometime./  
  
He tore around a corner, trying to get to the same spot he had met the man at yesterday. In his haste, he failed to notice the man's leg directly in his path. He collided with the barrier and tumbled head over heels into the ground, his lightsaber unclipping from his belt and flipping across the floor to the man's waiting hand. The man activated the lightsaber and held it to Anakin's throat.  
  
The laser beam flickered, sending darts of light into Anakin's neck. His flesh sizzled in the close proximity of the weapon, and he gulped. "Be more careful next time," the man warned, switching off the laser sword and tossing it to the boy.  
  
Anakin caught it and tenderly examined the burn on his neck. /This is going to hurt,/ he thought.  
  
"Do you remember what you felt?" the man asked, interrupting Anakin's thoughts.  
  
"I was afraid," Anakin said, only realizing it as he said the words.  
  
"Exactly. Your fear will make you powerful," the man responded.  
  
"But Master Yoda said-" Anakin was confused. Words echoed in his mind. /Fear is the path to the Dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate . . . leads to suffering./ He could still hear the inverted structure of Yoda's clumsy Basic instructing him not to be afraid.  
  
"Master Yoda is an ignorant troll," the man said dismissively.  
  
"But he's the greatest of all Jedi!"  
  
"He didn't want to train you, did he? He would waste all the potential of the Chosen one, flaunt the prophecy the Jedi have revered for eons, all because he was jealous of you. Jealousy is something you will have to deal with. Yoda was afraid you would surpass him, just as Obi-Wan is. They restrict your training with meditation, a useless skill for useless Jedi. They deny you true power. I will give you that."  
  
Anakin absorbed the man's tirade silently. /It makes sense,/ he thought. /But Obi-Wan wouldn't do that to me./ Anakin shoved the theory aside, but found he could not ignore the nagging voice that still wondered, /Would he?/  
  
* * *  
  
Just as Obi-Wan expected, Qui-Gon was watching the entire drama play out. He watched Anakin sneak out of his sleep couch and get the small device. Anakin set the device on the pillow next to Obi-Wan's ear, fiddle with a few dials, and steal away. Through the door he watched Anakin cover his ears tightly, but the only his Padawan's heavy snores broke the silence.  
  
The morning shattered with the wail of the alarm. /Obi-Wan isn't going to be happy about this,/ Qui-Gon thought. /He's not a morning person. Anakin's in trouble, unless he's really quick about this./  
  
Sure enough, Anakin had to run for it. Qui-Gon watched Obi-Wan let him go, waiting for the summons.  
  
"Of course you were this bad. I seem to remember an incident after you first tried that Corellian whiskey, and you saw that girl walking through the street," Qui-Gon answered, appearing in his ghostly form.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Obi-Wan said abruptly.  
  
"Of course, you were probably too drunk to remember." Qui-Gon said amiably.  
  
"Let's drop that," Obi-Wan said. "You knew Anakin would be like this," he accused, changing the subject.  
  
Qui-Gon didn't fall for it. "How long did you wind up grounded for, again?" he teased.  
  
Obi-Wan gave Qui-Gon the same glare he had just given Anakin, but it cracked into a smile, and then a laugh. "About a year," he exaggerated.  
  
"I overreacted that much?" Qui-Gon asked incredulously.  
  
"You did know, though. What Anakin would be like, I mean."  
  
"All Padawans go through a rather rambunctious stage. I recall raiding the kitchen with Mace once, right after I became Dooku's Padawan." Qui-Gon said ruefully.  
  
"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked interestedly. He had trouble imagining the strict Council member raiding a kitchen.  
  
"We got caught. Mace got cleanup duty, I got," Qui-Gon rubbed the bump where his nose had been broken. "It doesn't matter what I got."  
  
Obi-Wan was suspicious. "I think you let yourself die just so I would have to deal with Anakin," he said.  
  
Qui-Gon stopped. "I would never do that, Obi-Wan. I would not leave you alone like that," he said, all laughter gone.  
  
"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said, realizing how deeply the remark had wounded his master, and seeing the resentment that fueled it. "I didn't mean to, to-"  
  
"I know you didn't, my old Padawan. I have other things on my mind as well, and you're worrying about Anakin. We're both a little insensitive." Qui-Gon broke in before Obi-Wan could take all the blame.  
  
"But why does he have to be so moody? He was sullen yesterday, and pulling pranks today, do I even want to know what he'll be like tomorrow?"  
  
"He's adjusting. He misses his mother, and he feels left out. He'll calm down with time," Qui-Gon advised. "Xanatos was like this, too."  
  
/But Xanatos turned,/ Obi-Wan thought.  
  
* * *  
  
The man thought evilly about the plans he had set in motion. /So they're sending a pair of Jedi to deal with me,/ he thought. /They don't have the faintest idea they're going in the wrong direction. Soon they will, though. Soon they will./  
  
* * *  
  
Erinn panted, out of breath. She had finally caught up with the troublemaking youngling. "Kyren, you have to share with the others. They might want to play with the pretty ball, too." She picked up the struggling toddler and wrestled the metal ball out of his hand. She had never seen anything like it before. Lights flashed in colored patterns, dancing over the smooth surface.  
  
/It's almost like a countdown,/ Erinn thought, fascinated. Her blood chilled with the warning of the force as she recognized the object. /Oh, Sith!/ she thought, right before everything went black.  
  
* * *  
  
The Force spun tumultuously, tossing Obi-Wan to the ground. The agony of souls ripped from their bodies burned like acid in his veins. He gasped for breath as the impact of the deaths pressed in on his chest. He couldn't move, couldn't see. The Force sucked the life out of him in an effort to appease the dead children. /No,/ he thought. //Anakin!// he called through the bond. //Anakin, link to me! Anchor yourself!//  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin collapsed, the burn in his neck coming back to life. Grief, rage, and horror swam through him, shattering his minimal control. /I can't stay here,/ he thought. /I can't live with this pain./  
  
As he started to give in, to let himself go, he heard his Master's pleas. //Master!// Anakin shouted, throwing a root of power to Obi-Wan.  
  
* * *  
  
Even within the Force, Qui-Gon felt the pain. He absorbed the shock, letting it pass through him. /Obi-Wan!/ he thought suddenly. /Anyone without control, or who tries to take on to much, will be caught up in this./  
  
He heard Obi-Wan's frantic call to Anakin. /No, Obi-Wan! You can't support the two of you!/ he tried to shout, but found Obi-Wan deaf to his cries. Worriedly, Qui-Gon set himself to keep Obi-Wan and Anakin in the realm of the living. /Dooku, you won't get away with this!/ he raged internally as he weathered the storm for the two living Jedi.  
  
* * *  
  
The man smiled to himself, reveling in the torture tearing through the Force. His plan was going perfectly.  
  
So, if anyone's made it this far, congratulations. Remember that I'll review other stories if you give me the info. Please review; feedback is really important.  
  
tbc 


	4. I have no idea what the title of this ch...

Thank you to all the people who reviewed.  
  
To all of you who didn't review: Don't be shy! It won't hurt my feelings if you hate my story! Any review is welcome, especially ones that criticize my writing and offer suggestions on how to improve.  
  
I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. Family vacation, a week without the ability to read or write anything . . . the worst kind of torture. But it's up now! Enjoy!  
  
I still don't own the universe.  
  
Pain ripped through Obi-Wan's head as he fell back into consciousness. The world faded in and out of sight, twisting and turning whenever he tried to move. The danger of being sucked into the Force was gone, but the aftermath of whatever had happened to cause such a surge still affected him. Groaning, he tried to shove himself to his feet, but failed and fell back onto the floor of the ship. He rested for a moment to try to gather his the Force to assist him, but was floored by a fresh wave of agony and grief.  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin sat up groggily. His head throbbed in rhythm with the ship's engines, forcing him to lie back down.  
  
"It is good to see you have finally awakened. I was beginning to worry," the man came in, carrying a tray with a glass of liquid on it. "Drink this. It will help." The man propped Anakin up and helped him to sip from the glass. The liquid was disgusting. It seared Anakin's throat as it went down, making him gag. Anakin choked and coughed, but found his headache was fading as he drank the liquid.  
  
"Where am I?" Anakin asked when he had drained the cup.  
  
"You are in my quarters," the man said. "I found you after that surge in the Force made you collapse."  
  
"Where's Master Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked.  
  
The man paused. "Anakin, are you familiar with the circumstances surrounding the death of Qui-Gon Jinn?"  
  
"Yes, I think so. He was killed by a Sith, and then Master Obi-Wan killed the Sith."  
  
"Convenient, isn't it? Master Obi-Wan killed the only person who could have confirmed the story. We really don't know what happened down there. What we do know is that a powerful presence in the Dark side erupted down there, like a Sith dropping his shields," the man said.  
  
"What are you saying? Of course there was a Dark presence. There was a Sith!" Anakin was confused by the man's tactics.  
  
"Yes, but was that Sith really the one with the red and black face? Only darkness can destroy a Sith. Master Obi-Wan must be dark, to have killed Darth Maul," the man commented. "He didn't want to train you because you would just get in the way of his sabotage."  
  
"You're lying. Master Obi-Wan would never turn to the Dark side," Anakin declared. "He's one of the greatest Jedi!"  
  
"Really," the man said. "Did he ever tell you that he left the Order?"  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon watched in horror as the man twisted the story of Obi-Wan's betrayal. /Anakin, don't believe him!/ he thought madly, even though he shared no bond with the boy and could not communicate with him.  
  
The man turned around, bringing his face close to Anakin's. Qui-Gon reeled backwards as he got a good look at the face of the man. "Dooku," he murmured in shock, then worry as he realized the peril facing Obi-Wan and his apprentice.  
  
* * *  
  
//Obi-Wan! Wake up! You must!// The words rang through Obi-Wan's head, echoing across the bond he shared with Qui-Gon.  
  
"Don' wanna," Obi-Wan complained groggily. "Hurts."  
  
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon yelled in frustration. "Obi-Wan, Anakin is in danger. Dooku is on the ship, and he is trying to convince Anakin that you are a Sith. You have to help your apprentice."  
  
The mention of Anakin's name made Obi-Wan jump to his feet. His mind threw off the blanket of exhaustion that had kept him unconscious. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he demanded impatiently.  
  
Qui-Gon smiled. "Good morning. Follow me." He took off down the corridor towards Dooku's rooms.  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin struggled to comprehend the torrent of new information. /Master Obi- Wan, a Sith?/ he wondered. /But how come the Council didn't know?/  
  
"Anakin, do you understand what I'm saying?" the man asked. "It is vital that you tell me what Obi-Wan is planning. I must know so that we can stop him."  
  
Anakin nodded dully. "He's going to try to capture some guy named Dooku because that's supposed to free Master Qui-Gon or something like that."  
  
The man stopped, shocked. "That's what he told you?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, that's what he said."  
  
"We must not allow that to happen! I am the only one who can free Qui-Gon from the prison Obi-Wan has constructed for him. If I die, Qui-Gon will never be free!"  
  
"You?" Now Anakin was shocked. "You're Dooku?"  
  
"Yes. I could not tell you before, because I was uncertain what your reaction would be." Dooku stood up. "Do you know when Obi-Wan will notice your absence?"  
  
Anakin's mind was reeling. "He won't," Anakin said. "He doesn't care about me, remember? He's probably even forgotten I exist."  
  
* * *  
  
The peril facing his young Padawan was the only thing on Obi-Wan's mind as he tore through the halls of the ship. He tried to sense the boy through their bond, but was blocked by a swirl of angry dark energy. /Somebody else is hiding Anakin from me,/ he thought. /Dooku?/  
  
Obi-Wan rounded a bend and crashed into a mechanic. The toolbox the mechanic was carrying popped open, spraying tools everywhere. "Sorry," Obi- Wan said as he scrambled to his feet. "I'm in a hurry."  
  
"Stupid Jedi," Obi-Wan could barely hear the mechanic's muttered words as he ran away. "Alus in a hurry tuh git sumwhere."  
  
Obi-Wan skidded to a stop. "You've seen my Padawan?" he asked.  
  
"Sum boy's been sneakin' down here tuh practice with his sword. Sum other guy's bin helpin' him."  
  
"What did this other man look like? It's urgent that you remember!" Obi- Wan said desperately.  
  
"Tall, white hair, deep voice, long cloak," the mechanic said.  
  
"Thank you very much!" Obi-Wan ran around the corner, trailing his ghostly Master. /So, Dooku's been seeing Anakin this entire trip. I wonder why I couldn't sense him before?/  
  
* * *  
  
Dooku helped Anakin to his feet. "Obi-Wan is coming. Something has alerted him to my presence. You must hide."  
  
"But I want to help you!" Anakin whined. "I don't want to run away and hide."  
  
Dooku paused. /This boy may be useful as a decoy,/ he thought. /Surely Obi-Wan will be reluctant to kill his apprentice./  
  
"Very well," he decided. "You may help me. Get out your lightsaber, but do not ignite it."  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan burst through the doors to Dooku's quarters, lightsaber in his hand and ignighted. In the room, however, he saw something that made him stop cold. "Anakin?" he asked, incredulous. "Anakin, you're in danger. Go away."  
  
"I'm in no danger from Dooku," the boy said calmly. "You're the Sith lord. You're the one who killed Qui-Gon."  
  
"Anakin, that is a lie." Obi-Wan was shocked to hear his Padawan say something so false. "Look at me in the Force. I'm not Dark." He dropped all of his shields to allow Anakin to see his essence, and found himself instantly wrapped in a cloak of Dark energy.  
  
"You look pretty dark to me," Anakin said, his eyes burning through Obi- Wan's body. "How long did you think you could hide it? This isn't even a mission approved by the Council, is it? You've been using me, training me to become a Sith like you. Even Yoda's in on it. He didn't want me in the Order, either."  
  
Obi-Wan struggled to break free of the Dark blanket coating his energy. He couldn't access the Force to speak to Anakin without allowing the Darkness to taint him. He was so preoccupied with his fight against the Darkness he never noticed the small needle pricking his neck.  
  
Please remember to review!  
  
tbc . . . 


	5. Please please please please review

I'm sorry it's been so long. The curse of homework, and then a really bad cold, joined forces to prevent me from updating.  
  
This chapter contains Obi-torture. Be warned.  
  
By the way, a great big thanks goes out to all the people who reviewed - all 0 of you. Is anybody still reading this? I love getting feedback, so even if you're just going to say how much you hated the story, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really will review your story in return if you give me a title!  
  
I don't own anyone from the universe (.  
  
Pain coursed through Obi-Wan's veins like acid. He struggled to move, but found his hands bound tightly with rough rope that burned into his wrists. The pain was blinding, robbing him of his ability to use the Force. His mind was gone, banished from his body. /Please, let it stop./ he thought. /Just let it stop. . ./  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin watched his Master writhe in pain, strapped to gurney so he couldn't escape. "Are you sure this is necessary?" he asked the man standing beside him.  
  
"Quite, Anakin. Obi-Wan is extremely dangerous. He killed Qui-Gon, remember? He would have killed you, too, had he been granted the chance. Your isolation is all his fault."  
  
Anakin thought for a moment. /He's right,/ he realized. /Qui-Gon wouldn't have treated me like this. And why didn't Obi-Wan want to teach me lightsaber fighting?/  
  
"You understand," the man commented in his deep bass voice. "We must keep him subdued. The pain is only the beginning of his punishment."  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon Jinn fought to escape the mental bonds holding him in place. "Why are you doing this?" he yelled, trying to reach out to his apprentice. "Let me help you!"  
  
A cool hand brushed his forehead. "Obi-Wan isn't blocking you," Tahl said. "Dooku is. He doesn't want you to ruin his plan."  
  
"I thought I wouldn't be able to see you," Qui-Gon stated, not believing his eyes.  
  
"Believe it, I'm real," Tahl answered. "You need to know how important it is that you prevent Dooku from training Anakin. You must show Obi-Wan how to help him."  
  
"How? I'm trapped here. I can't reach either of them," Qui-Gon trailed off as he watched Tahl's form disappear into the misty nothingness that surrounded him. "I hate it when she does that," he said to himself. Visions of Obi-Wan in pain teased him, reminding him of his helplessness. "Hang on, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "I'll help you this time."  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan couldn't breathe. It was as though a bantha had stepped on his chest and decided to stay there. He hacked and gasped, trying to force air into his lungs, but the effort was too much. /I'm too tired to deal with this,/ he thought. /Why can't I breathe?/  
  
His vision began to swim, blackness crowding out the blur of colors that had tormented him. /No!/ he thought vehemently, struggling to breathe. /I can't pass out. I've been through worse./  
  
For a second, his sight returned to him. "Anakin?" he croaked, not believing his eyes. His young apprentice was advancing on him, holding an electrojabber straight out. "Anakin, no!"  
  
* * *  
  
The man stood behind Anakin. "Yes, young one. That is correct. You must exact Qui-Gon's revenge, avenge his death! Allow your hatred for the thing that killed your only true Master to guide you!" His breath caught in his throat, anticipating the pain the boy would inflict on Obi-Wan.  
  
"Anakin, no!" the Master gasped, fighting for air. The man frowned. Obi- Wan had withstood amounts of torture that would have destroyed normal mortals. Anakin hesitated, uncertain.  
  
"Remember Qui-Gon!" the man yelled desperately. "You saw what happened, how he was brutally struck down!"  
  
The man's words strengthened Anakin's resolve, and the boy continued his advance on Obi-Wan. He plunged the electrojabber into his Master's side, watching as the electric shocks coursed through Obi-Wan's body. The power inflamed him, imbued him with a power so primitive it burned.  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon watched Anakin's advance, paralyzed with fascination. /What's going on?/ he thought.  
  
Obi-Wan's screams jolted him out of his trance. "No!" he screamed with his old Padawan. "Anakin, no!"  
  
Something snapped, and Qui-Gon was sent flying across the plane. He landed in a heap, flung away from Anakin and Obi-Wan, but freed of his bonds. Shakily he rose, and ran back to where Anakin stood over Obi-Wan.  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin froze. "Qui-Gon?" he asked. "Is that you?"  
  
"It was not!" the man yelled furiously. "Qui-Gon is dead! He killed him!" the man gestured wildly at Obi-Wan's tortured form.  
  
//Do not believe him, Anakin.// The voice that sounded in Anakin's head was familiar. //I am Qui-Gon. My death was not Obi-Wan's fault, but the fault of a Dark Lord of the Sith. The man, Count Dooku, is another such Dark Lord, though he hides it well. If you continue to harm Obi-Wan, you will be just like Dooku.//  
  
"Qui-Gon?" Anakin said, still incredulous. Something in the voice's words rang true, and he lifted the electrojabber and pointed it at Dooku. "You're lying to me," he said. "Master Obi-Wan loved Qui-Gon. He told me Qui-Gon was like his father." Something else snapped inside Anakin. "Dooku?" he wondered. "You were trying to throw us off the scent. You're the Sith."  
  
"Anakin, don't believe it! It's just a trick!" Dooku backed up desperately, trying to avoid the electrojabber aimed at his heart.  
  
"You were the one who killed all those people at the Temple, weren't you." It wasn't a question; Anakin already knew the answer. "Get out of here, before I kill you."  
  
"You won't," Dooku said, suddenly calmer. "You can't." He raised a hand and pointed it at Anakin. Purple lightning shot from his hand to connect with Anakin's chest. The boy screamed, feeling his heart jump with the electric currents streaming through his body. "Your foolishness has killed you," Dooku said sadly, iginiting his blood red lightsaber and raising it to Anakin's throat.  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan gathered his senses. The pain had abated with Qui-Gon's presence in the room. "Thank you," he whispered, reaching out to the Force for his strength.  
  
As his vision cleared, he saw Dooku throw Force-lightning at Anakin. Realizing the peril his Padawan was in, Obi-Wan called the boy's lightsaber to his hand. He leapt towards the pair, using the Force to propel him forwards. He ignited the blue blade and sliced at Dooku. The man, preoccupied with his torment of the boy, could not block in time. He spun around, stunned at his defeat.  
  
With an evil cackle, Dooku brought out a small box from his robes, fighting to remain standing. He opened the lid and flipped a small switch. "48 - hours," he choked, grinning. Blood spurted up out of his mouth, staining his lips and teeth. "48 - hours - before you - die, - fools." He collapsed, the wound having taken it's toll.  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon felt an overwhelming sense of dread as a new presence infiltrated his plane. "Dooku," he said.  
  
Now, we all know that just killing Obi-Wan and Anakin isn't enough, right? There's only one more chapter left in this story.  
  
Please don't forget to review! It let's me know I'm alive and that all this is real. Otherwise, I could just be sitting in a white room with padded walls, and no access to computers, so how could I post the final chapter? Remember, this is AU, so anything goes . . . 


	6. IT'S DONE IT'S DONE IT'S DONE IT'S DONE ...

Sorry it's taken so long to update, but it's the last chapter and I wanted to think about it for a bit. Also finals and other end of the year stuff. But it's up now!  
  
Thank you to all of the people who have reviewed, especially if you left constructive comments. I really appreciate the feedback.  
  
I still don't own them.  
  
Anakin stared at Dooku's body. "What did he say?" the boy asked incredulously.  
  
"He said we have 48 hours to live," Obi-Wan said calmly.  
  
"But- But-" Anakin stammered, still trying to process the news.  
  
"Calm down, Padawan."  
  
"Calm down? We're going to die, Master! How can you tell me to calm down?" Anakin began to panic.  
  
"We're not in trouble yet," Obi-Wan answered. /Great, I'm starting to sound like Qui-Gon,/ he thought to himself. /Oh well. At least I'm not spewing that nonsense about point of view yet./  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that Dooku activated something with that box. There may be a way to deactivate it." Obi-Wan bent down next to Dooku and picked up the box. Gingerly his fingers traced the seam until he found the catch. The lid sprang open, revealing a series of wires, buttons, and lights. Allowing the Force to guide him, Obi-Wan reached into the tangled jungle, searching for a way to disarm the device.  
  
His mind jolted with a surge in the Force. Anakin stared over his shoulder. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at a large red button.  
  
"No, Anakin! Don't touch -" Obi-Wan's warning came milliseconds to late. Anakin pressed the button. With a start, Obi-Wan tossed the device as far down the hall of the ship as he could. "Get down!" he shouted, shielding his Padawan with his body.  
  
***  
  
Qui-Gon stood in the misty plane that had held him since his death, meditating. Suddenly the Force swirled and darkened, throwing him out of his thoughts. The mist had changed in character; where it had once seemed like early morning on Naboo it now boiled with the anger and hatred of the Dark side.  
  
"No," Qui-Gon whispered, hoping that what he felt was caused by something else.  
  
"Yes, my old Padawan," came the booming voice in answer to his unspoken question.  
  
***  
  
Obi-Wan braced himself for a massive explosion. His muscles tensed in anticipation of the shockwave.  
  
But nothing happened. Seconds passed, then minutes, and finally it seemed as though the danger had passed. Warily, Obi-Wan stood and helped Anakin to his feet.  
  
A holographic figure of the Count stood before them. "My Master," it said in Dooku's voice. "The bomb is set, as you commanded. Within the next 48 hours, the Temple will be destroyed. I have assured that the two meddlesome Jedi will be dead by then."  
  
The holograph clicked off. Obi-Wan stooped to pick up the box.  
  
Before his hand could close on it, a poof of smoke erupted from the projector. Even with the Force Obi-Wan had trouble backing away before the device exploded, coating the entire hall with gray dust. A strange pulse in the Force accompanied it, registering in the back of Obi-Wan's mind as a harsh scratch.  
  
Anakin sneezed behind him. "Master?" he asked, seeing the worried expression on Obi-Wan's face. "What do we do?"  
  
Obi-Wan didn't have to waste time thinking. "We return to the Temple and try to find this bomb."  
  
***  
  
Qui-Gon stood warily in the mist. He waited, searching the Force for Dooku's signature.  
  
"Are you scared, my old Padawan?" Dooku taunted.  
  
"Strength over fear," Qui-Gon quoted, his steady voice disguising the anxiety he felt.  
  
"Don't worry. You won't be alone for long. Soon you will be joined by that foolish apprentice of yours."  
  
Qui-Gon started. "What do you mean?"  
  
Dooku smiled, his piercing eyes meeting Qui-Gon's as he emerged from the mist. He stood loosely, apparently unarmed. The black cloak draped smoothly over his shoulders and cascaded to the floor. The air around Dooku was chilled, as though his presence caused the Force to flee. The cold bit deeply into Qui-Gon, and he soon found himself struggling to control a wave of shivers.  
  
"It is time for you to die." Dooku said nonchalantly, advancing towards Qui-Gon with malice in his eyes.  
  
***  
  
The two Jedi raced through the halls of the ship, searching for the docking bay. "Master, how will we make it back to the Temple in time?" Anakin asked, gasping for air.  
  
Obi-Wan paused against the side of a large, disc-shaped, decrepit ship, gasping. "We contact the Council and alert them to the danger. Then, we take this ship to back to Coruscant. Without all the stops along the way, we should be there by this evening. Then, we have one day to find and disarm the bomb."  
  
Anakin stared at him, then at the ship. "In this?" he asked incredulously.  
  
Obi-Wan seemed surprised. "Of course! Don't you know the Millennium Falcon is the fastest ship in the galaxy?" /Sithspit, where did that come from?/ he wondered.  
  
Anakin still wasn't convinced. "What a piece of junk," he muttered.  
  
Obi-Wan glared at him. "Get on board."  
  
"But Master, we don't own this ship!"  
  
"We're requisitioning it. It is better to borrow a ship than to lose thousands of lives." Obi-Wan reasoned. "Besides, the Council will be able to track down the owner and compensate whoever it is."  
  
***  
  
Dooku walked slowly towards Qui-Gon. "Did you miss me, Padawan?" he taunted. "You always underestimated my powers. Now you will find that I am more powerful than you could ever have imagined."  
  
Qui-Gon searched frantically for something, anything, that he could use as a weapon. He backed away from the Sith, trying to buy time.  
  
"Did you have nightmares about me? Did I haunt every moment of your pathetic existence?"  
  
The mist yielded nothing. Qui-Gon was unarmed, defenseless, and Dooku was unhooking his saber from his belt. Suddenly Qui-Gon found himself unable to move, as if shoved up against a wall. Shocked, he realized that Dooku was using the Force to immobilize him. The lightsaber hilt positioned itself at his throat, and Dooku's finger caressed its solitary red button.  
  
"Goodbye, my old Padawan."  
  
***  
  
The Council room was silent. The news delivered by Obi-Wan was disturbing, and they had to decide what to do.  
  
"Evacuate, we must," Yoda said eventually, breaking the tense silence. "Risk the lives of the children, we cannot."  
  
"But where will we send them?" Depa Billaba asked. "If the galaxy finds out we evacuated the Temple, they will lose all their trust for the Order."  
  
"And if we don't, and the Temple is destroyed, it won't matter." Mace pointed out. "Maybe if we sent everyone on a field trip to one of the moons as a 'training exercise', we could disguise the true nature of our situation."  
  
"Either way, we must find the bomb. It all depends on our ability to deactivate it," Ki-Adi-Mundi said.  
  
The Council nodded gravely, recognizing the seriousness of their situation.  
  
***  
  
Anakin lay on one of the berths on the Falcon. "I don't feel good," he croaked, his small body wracked by hacking coughs.  
  
Obi-Wan did not appear any better. "Hold on, Padawan. The Temple healers will find something." His dry, papery skin cracked as he shifted to stroke his apprentice's head.  
  
He waited for Anakin to respond, but saw that the boy had fallen into a tormented sleep. It was not long before Obi-Wan succumbed as well.  
  
***  
  
Jedi Master Shedain stood before the Council. Ever since Erinn's death, he had been disinterested in his work with the younglings. The Council took his offer to head the search for the bomb as a sign that he was finally starting to recover.  
  
"It's hopeless. We've searched everywhere in the Temple, but there is no sign of a bomb. We can't find it." Shedain's slumped back showed his defeat. "I can't even feel it in the Force. We're finished."  
  
The Council exchanged a glance. "Evacuate, we will. Only hours we have before the end of the Order," Yoda said grimly, knowing that what Shedain said was true.  
  
***  
  
Qui-Gon prepared himself to die again. He watched as Dooku applied more and more pressure to the button on the lightsaber, waiting for it to ignite and sever his head.  
  
It didn't turn on. Dooku's finger was jammed into the hilt, but the lightsaber malfunctioned, generating a shock large enough to throw them apart. Qui-Gon flew several feet through the mist before flipping and landing on his feet. Dooku landed less gracefully, flat on his back. His lightsaber soared away from his grasp.  
  
Qui-Gon called the blade to him, using the Force to ignite it. The Force swirled around him, welcoming and aiding him to part the mist and shift the crystals in the saber. The red blade fought back against his grip, shoving Dark energy up his arm and into his body. The Force protected him, though, encasing Qui-Gon in a sheath of light that repeled the darkness.  
  
Dooku scrambled back as Qui-Gon neared, realizing that he could not fight back. Qui-Gon never slowed his approach, bringing the glowing blade to Dooku's neck. "I undo what you have done," he said, burning every trace of Dooku's mischief from the galaxy. As all Dooku's evil faded, so too did the Count. There, in the strange plane of half-death, Qui-Gon found true connection to the Force.  
  
***  
  
Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. His entire body ached furiously, but he could tell that he would survive. He cracked open his eyes, forcing himself to try and get up.  
  
"Stay down," a warm voice said gently. "You're recovering from the touch of the Dark side." Even though Obi-Wan couldn't see his visitor, he recognized Qui-Gon's presence. "This will be the last time I can speak with you," Qui-Gon continued. "You and Anakin will both be fine. It will be a long recovery, but you will get better."  
  
"The Temple?" Obi-Wan whispered, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.  
  
"You were the weapon. The dust that Dooku sprayed you with contained a powerful disease that would have exterminated all Force-sensitives who used the Light side. With his death, though, it died as well."  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, too weak to say anything more. He knew the galaxy would go on, and that he and Anakin would be there to help it happen.  
  
"You will be a great Jedi, Obi-Wan. I am proud of you, and the Force will be with you. Never forget the Force, Obi-Wan. It will protect you." Qui- Gon smiled, and allowed himself to become, at last, one with the Force.  
  
So, what did you think? Like it? Hate it? I'm dying to know. 


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